A Folder and File-Naming System for Downloaded Course Videos

Build the library before it becomes a pile

Browsers save files in completion order. Courses are learned in teaching order. Without a system, those two orders drift apart as soon as you download from several modules, retry a failed lesson, or add a cohort replay.

The goal is not a perfect media catalog. It is a course library that answers four questions immediately:

1. Where does this lesson belong?
2. What should be watched next?
3. Has the file been verified?
4. What is missing?

Create the structure before a bulk session. Renaming ten clear files is easy; untangling one hundred generic filenames is not.

Start with a numbered course folder

Use the course name at the top and number every module with leading zeroes:

course-name/
  00-course-record/
  01-start-here/
  02-foundations/
  03-core-workflow/
  04-advanced-examples/
  90-cohort-replays/
  98-needs-review/
  99-source-files/

Leading zeroes keep 02 before 10 in ordinary file explorers. The high numbers reserve predictable locations for material outside the main curriculum.

Use 00-course-record for the manifest, permission notes, and a copy of the original course outline. Use 98-needs-review for files that downloaded but have not passed verification. If you own the source recordings, 99-source-files can hold those originals separately from the study copies.

Use filenames that preserve lesson order

A durable filename includes the lesson position and a short human title:

01-welcome-and-course-map.mp4
02-install-the-required-tools.mp4
03-build-the-first-workflow.mp4

Keep the format boring and consistent:

[lesson-number]-[short-title].[extension]

Good filename rules:

• use two digits when a module has fewer than 100 lessons;
• use lowercase words separated by hyphens;
• remove emojis and decorative punctuation;
• keep titles short enough to scan;
• retain meaningful version labels such as v2 or updated-2026;
• do not use final, final-final, or a download timestamp as the only distinction.

If two lessons share a title, add a useful qualifier:

04-client-onboarding-overview.mp4
05-client-onboarding-demo.mp4

Do not encode every possible detail in the filename. Provider, URL, permission, status, and notes belong in the manifest.

Name live replays by date and subject

Calls and replays need chronology because their page titles are often repetitive. Use the date first:

90-cohort-replays/
  2026-06-03-kickoff-and-goal-setting.mp4
  2026-06-10-office-hours-landing-pages.mp4
  2026-06-17-qa-analytics-and-tracking.mp4

Use YYYY-MM-DD so normal alphabetical sorting is also chronological sorting. Add the theme after the date, even if the course labels every event “Weekly Call.” The article on preserving authorized cohort replays covers the deadline workflow in more detail.

Keep a manifest beside the files

A manifest is a small table that describes what the folder alone cannot. CSV works well because it opens in spreadsheet apps and remains readable as plain text.

Recommended columns:

The status vocabulary should be fixed. If one person writes done, another writes saved, and a third writes probably good, the manifest stops being a reliable control document.

Separate downloaded from verified

“Downloaded” means a file exists. “Verified” means a person opened it and confirmed it is usable.

Move through these states:

not started -> queued -> downloaded -> verified
                              |
                              -> needs review

For verification, open the local file and check the beginning, middle, and end. Confirm audio, picture, duration, and readable text. Then move it from 98-needs-review into the correct module and update the manifest to verified.

This separation prevents a partial or silent file from blending into an apparently complete archive.

Handle retries without creating mystery duplicates

Do not leave filenames such as these in the final course:

lesson.mp4
lesson (1).mp4
lesson (2).mp4

Put retries in 98-needs-review until you know which copy is complete. Compare duration, file size, picture, and audio. Keep the verified copy under the final lesson filename and record why the others were rejected before removing them through your normal recoverable file-cleanup process.

If two versions are intentionally different, name the distinction:

07-email-automation-original.mp4
07-email-automation-updated-2026.mp4

Preserve the teaching context

A video archive is more useful when it retains the minimum context needed to interpret the lesson. For your own course or material you are permitted to preserve, consider saving:

• the module and lesson titles;
• the lesson's written summary;
• worksheet names and authorized copies;
• relevant links;
• the original publication or replay date;
• a note when a lesson was superseded;
• captions or transcripts when they are available and permitted.

Do not assume an MP4 contains all the teaching value. A downloadable worksheet or setup link may be essential to completing the lesson.

Make the archive portable

Use relative paths in the manifest, such as:

03-core-workflow/04-connect-the-data-source.mp4

Avoid paths tied to one computer or username. Relative paths still work after the course folder moves to an external drive or another approved storage system.

Keep the manifest and course record inside the top-level folder so they travel with the media. Then copy the complete folder to a second location and open several files from that copy.

The 15-minute setup checklist

Before starting Skool Bulk Downloader:

• Create the top-level course folder.
• Number the modules in their current order.
• Add folders for replays and items needing review.
• Create the manifest and fixed status labels.
• Choose the filename pattern.
• Record permission before adding a lesson to the queue.
• Save and verify one representative file.
• Confirm the final path appears correctly in the manifest.

That short setup turns each completed download into a finished part of the course library instead of another file to sort later.

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Last substantively reviewed August 2, 2026. See our editorial and corrections policy.